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I have been on a journey these past few weeks – both internal and external. I have travelled far from home to reach Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland, where I will remain for the next three months or so learning and refining my skills as a cook. I have been looking forward to this trip for such a long time, that when it finally arrived – as much anticipated moments are wont to do, given the inevitability of time – I was surprised, and slightly overwhelmed.

But before Ireland, I had a moment of time to adjust and refocus my energy and personal space. I spent a wonderful few days in London … in a sun-filled, quiet flat, surrounded by green, a gift of my GoddessMother. I visited with my delicious Karo … and was embraced by my sayang for (and by) MsTina. She brought me a present – the divine chocolate of Amelia Rope – hand made, signed and individually numbered. Fine, beautiful, artisanal, and tasting of love – she gave me the Pale Lemon and Sea Salt edition – such a revelation. I ate and laughed and shared with my Adik at Carluccio’s … and dined at the lovely vegan raw-food Saf restaurant on the 1st Floor at Whole Foods, Kensington.

What a wonderful beginning to the adventure of a lifetime. Opened me up, reoriented my soul … and gave me a little space to just root down a bit. And then… and then… a journey that took me through Bristol, Hay-on-Wye and Fishguard (in Wales), across the Irish Sea to Rosslare, and finally here, to Shanagarry, County Cork. I was nourished along the way … by life – and by food and friends and an abundance of love.

In Bristol, I arrived to the warm embrace of Soph and Hux and Coral – and the beautiful experience of watching mother and daughter make scones with love and light and laughter.

Making Scones

They were perfect – a superb English cream tea.

Eating Scones

And deep, in the still of the night, I found a breath, unexpectedly. And I knew that right now, I am living in pure joy.

The next day, I reconnected with and hugged C+C at the Avenue Cafe in Henleaze and had a perfect latte before heading out onto the open road to Hay-on-Wye – the town of bookshops located in the Wye Valley in Wales. Along the way, I passed through country so beautiful, I just stopped and looked and laughed aloud with happiness.

By the Roadside

Nourished by the green, I stayed the night at the wonderful Old Black Lion – where the welcome was warm and kind, the bed was comfortable, and the building just resonated with stories and voices and laughter. I have decided that one of the great pleasures of life is taking a road trip, and exploring. One’s internal voice becomes strong and clear – and the pace is exactly to one’s own rhythm.

The Old Black Lion

I had dinner at the Old Black Lion – a simple but beautifully made mushroom, roasted tomato, spinach and leek vol-au-vent with mashed potatoes and peas. Fresh ingredients, clarity of flavour, and pure warmth.

Delicious

But it was the salad that really made me stop – crisp, green, sweet, savoury, juicy and perfectly fresh. Sometimes its the most basic of things, presented with a loving hand, that makes the heart glad.

Simple Salad

And then it was across the Brecon Beacons – greens of infinite hue, gently rolling hills, trees singing me along my journey… and a blue blue sky.

Nothing but blue sky

And then, Fishguard, where I was to catch a ferry across the Irish seas. I stayed at the Fishguard Bay Hotel and had dinner there that night. The food was less than memorable, but the view of the harbour was beautiful. Nourishment is where you look for it 🙂

The ferry left in the early hours of the morning, and I arrived on the Emerald Isle at 615 in the morning… to mizzle (mist and drizzle combined) and pure sweet air and laughter in the wind. I arrived at Ballymaloe Cookery School at around 930am and was shown my beautiful cottage, where I am to stay for the next three months with five other lovely people – Mrs. Walsh’s cottage. (My room is the second floor window on the left).

Mrs. Walsh's Cottage

It is so beautiful here, my senses and my spirit devour everything – the sounds of the birds and the rain and the wind, the scent of green and sweetness and earth, the lushness and textures of stone and wood and growing things. It is a place to learn, expand and be nourished.

And on that first day, after unpacking and making my own bed, after setting out my Buddhas and laying out my clothes… I went to Ballymaloe House Cafe and Craft Shop. Firstly, to get a warm woolen sweater as an extra layer against the cold! But also, to enjoy a new meal, with a new friend.

Gorgeous, earthy brown bread and Irish soda bread (which I shall know how to make soon!)

Irish Soda Bread

A lovely welcome lunch of fresh salad, light cucumber pickle, spicy tomato chutney and a camembert and caramelised onion tart. Such a gorgeous textural combination – and such lovely company.

Lunch

And then to bed … with the promise and the joy of a new beginning – of cooking every day, being immersed in food and conversation and new souls and spirits. Of living in green and laughter, and using my brain and body and skill. Of breathing deep and true and resonating with joy.

This past Friday, we went to Nathalie’s Gourmet Studio to celebrate AngelKitten’s birthday. I have blogged about this amazing and passionate Chef before – here and here. Suffice to say, it was another enchanting and flawless meal, served with passion (and tons of that totally perfect bread) and joy. It was so lovely, we took pictures… so I thought I would share them with you. For an actual review of Nathalie’s, please follow the other links… for now, just enjoy 😉

BoyBoy’s starter. A sublime mushroom foam, a tower of pasta, creamy chicken and morels in the centre. And on top? On that simple bamboo skewer? A morel, stuffed with chicken and deep fried. A nod to Chinese cooking, but with a definite French twist.

And finally, my starter. I laughed when I tasted this. I think its something I do, instinctively, when a taste is just perfect. If you ever visit Nathalie’s and you see pumpkin on the menu, order it. She has some wildwonderful juju with pumpkin. A pumpkin broth, essence of sweetness and savoury. Hiding home-made goat’s cheese stuffed raviolis. Such a perfect taste combination.

And oh, did we devour Nathalie’s bread during our starters… and, like true Malaysians, fantasised about having it for breakfast the next day, warmed, split, buttered and stuffed with a fried egg. BoyBoys eyes rolled back in his head in ecstasy as he imagined that perfect bread, soaked with hot egg yolk. Heheh.

AngelKitten’s main course. Cabbage, braised, stuffed with dark greens and chicken, with a chicken foam. She said it was perfect. Light and rich, substantial and beautiful, all at the same time.

BoyBoy’s main – a reconstructed moussaka rich with lamb, cheese, eggplant and tomato. Each bite a perfect balance of flavour and texture. He must have loved it because he finished every last bite.

My risotto – and again! I forgot to take a photo of the centre of this sublime dish. Herb foam made it light, and it was rich with all sorts of good vegetables – asparagus, broad beans, snap peas and mushrooms. They lightened the risotto, and yet it was so rich and pure and perfect – you could taste the parmesan in every bite. I know how difficult it is to make risotto that is al dente and not too soft, not too hard, especially in a restaurant. Nathalie managed wonderfully. It was so so so good.

A chocolate chocolate charlotte. BoyBoy and I were very civil in sharing it 😉 But I think thats because we were full on bread (and he wasnt feeling 100%)… if not, it might have been war 😉

And amazingly, delightfully, morels made another appearance in our dinner – for dessert. Caramelised morels and bananas, a banana ice cream, caramel mousse and balsamic caramel banana sauce. It was outrageously good, and very daring!

BoyBoy had been nursing a cold, but he drank a big pot of Mariage Freres‘ Nil Rouge tea and perked right up. Nathalie’s has a full stock of Mariage Freres’ teas – and you should try them some time – they are known as the best teas in the world, and the flavours and scents are absolutely lovely.

We cant wait to go back to Nathalie’s Gourmet Studio and try their new menu (which starts on Tuesday). She will be open for another 2 nights in November… do check out her website, and join her mailing list. You will be so happy you did!

I know, I have already written about Nathalie’s Gourmet Studio, but we got an email saying they were slowly opening for dinner on selected nights, so we had to go! We had dinner there tonight, and it was just tooooo delectable not to share. The food here is really phenomenal – and with a new menu out every month, the exploration of flavour and taste and texture and delight can just go on and on and on! I wont go into detail about the ambiance or the chairs, the drinks or the table settings … I did that in my first review. I will just highlight some of the scrumptious food we had this evening, and leave you to drool!

And just to let you know, yes, there were six of us, and yes, we ordered every dessert (5 in total) on the menu, and yes, amazingly, we finished them ALL. Unabashedly licking the plates were we.

Starters

There were 6 of us for dinner, and we shared 3 starters. As a vegetarian, they had several options, including a vegetarian quiche. However, we tried these three:

Pingaling ordered the Norwegian poached egg. The egg was wrapped in a gossamer thin, silky layer of smoked salmon with an extraordinary chive sauce. It sat atop a simple, delicious artichoke heart, and since Pingaling doesnt “do” vegetables, I had the pleasure of eating that whole artichoke heart myself! I swizzled it in the yolky bits and was in heaven.

The mushroom soup was beyond heavenly. As Nana said, “Most of these soups are cream of mushroom, this one is mushroom cream!” and it was dreamy. Thick, unctuous, tasting of the essence of mushroom. A light foam on top, and porcini dust in the centre. It covered a huge (and apparently very delectable) scallop, but I only tried the soup. It was the perfect mushroom soup. I cannot find the words to describe it, though I am trying. It was as if your every memory of mushroom had been condensed, refined, and re-defined. Silky smooth, sensational on the tongue. Perfect.

This salad was so elegant, so refined, and yet retained the essence of tomato and mozzarella with basil salad. From the top – toasted pine nuts, a beautiful, clean, clear tasting basil cream, slightly bitter fresh greens, and lightly poached tomatoes, layered with the creamiest mozzarella. Drizzled with old balsamico. Such incredible textures. Such a perfect rendition of a salad we all know and love. Thoughtful, creative, delicious.

Main courses

Pingaling and Ezril had the children’s portion of bolognese with fresh buttered noodles. Small portions, delicious (they said) and a fine buffer between the superb starters and the stunning desserts. I had a bit of the noodles, without the sauce, buttered and fresh, and dreamed of a bowlful of that pasta, naked but for a slick of butter and a shaving of parmesan…

AngelKitten had wanted to try the reinvention of chicken nuggets the last time, but they had run out. She managed to get some tonight, and finished her plate like a very good girl!

White breast of chicken, breaded and fried. AngelKitten said it was scrummyyummy. She was literally savouring every bite. Served with a beautiful pile of ratatouille – perfection. I tasted the ratatouille, and loved it. Deep bold flavour, delicious and rich, and yet simple. Served with a parmesan dip.

Ezril’s Abang had the beef cheeks bourguignon over fresh pasta. Oh that pasta again. Sublime. He said the beef was bright, rich, delicious and winey. Tender and beautifully cooked. I wouldnt know, but he finished the plate!

Nana had the chicken breasts stuffed with king prawns, on a tangle of braised vegetables and a stunning, deeply flavoured newburg sauce. He said it was delectable. I believed him as I watched him polish it all off.

I had the vegetarian entree. Now let me say, when I eat at places that are focused on non-vegetarian food, the vegetarian entrees can often be disappointing. But this. Oh my good goddess. A carrot foam (which is all you can see in the above picture), with hints of spice and ginger, covered ravioli stuffed with creamydreamy ricotta and fresh herbs, dabbed with a carrot and ginger broth. Underneath it all, a puree of carrot and pumpkin, condensed, rich, and earthy. Sky and terre, light, and rich, so many flavours bursting through. I was going to take more photographs as I unearthed this splendid meal, but I didnt want to stop eating! The carnivores at the table tried bites of mine (small ones because that was all I would share) and one and all, they were delighted. So rich, so tasty, such a wonderful treat for a vegetarian. I was as shiny golden happy as this photograph.

Oh and before I forget…

The bread was out of this world wonderful. Woman can live on bread alone, if it was this bread. Fresh out of the oven, chewy, crusty, sourdoughy, tasting of bread. With sweet butter and sprinkle of sea salt. We couldnt stop eating it. We mopped everything up with it, and ordered more. It was served with a smile, and received with gratefulness. Oh that bread.

Desserts

We ordered our desserts when we asked for our main courses. We couldnt decide, and so, the women at the table took an executive decision to order everything. The men just went along for the ride. And what a ride it was…

Pineapple and lime crumble with a coconut and lime sorbet. Such sharp clean Asian flavours, melded with classic baking techniques. Ezril’s Abang gravitated to this one. He adored it. He wanted to marry it 😉

I would have married this one. All the elements I love. Tall, dark and handsome. And chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. A bitter frozen chocolate mousse, enrobed in a crisp chocolate shell, with a chocolate tuile. Though I think Ezril might have fought me for it, we managed to share (just).

This was Pingalings favourite, the one she wanted, and which she graciously shared with us. It was called a strawberry and raspberry surprise. Nana said it looked like a teletubby, but that didnt stop any of us from devouring it. A gorgeous meringue, crisp and crunchy, studded with vanilla, encasing a beautiful razzle of strawberry and raspberry chunks, topped with creme chantilly, and a raspberry sorbet. Check that colour out. It tasted as good as it looks. Such a wonderful textural combination, sharp brilliant fruits, creamy light meringue.

The dessert threesome. Coffee cream, with a lick of luscious burnt caramel at the bottom, topped with lightly whipped cream, a caramel macaron, and a perfect, miniature lemon meringue tarte. Such a clever juxtaposition of flavour and texture. Bright, dark, creamy, rich, so so so good.

Have I run out of superlatives? Here is the last picture because it encompasses how we felt about the food… a very happy, full family went home tonight to dream about Nathalie’s passionate, loving, delicious meal…

Thank you to everyone at Nathalie’s Gourmet Studio for a wonderful meal. Join their mailing list, and go when you can! So gooooooooood.

I am very excited because tonight I am meeting up with a bunch of friends to go and eat at Nathalie’s Gourmet again … Theyre slowly opening at nights, and we have a booking at 8pm. It means I wont be cooking or baking anything (though I am dreaming of a raspberry curd which I will try out tomorrow) so I thought I would list three of my favourite places to eat as a vegetarian in Kuala Lumpur. Obviously this list is very personal – and I am sure I am missing out on some fabulous places. One is not completely vegetarian, but for someone like me, all these places have multiple delightful options, and the food here is good for non-vegetarians too!

Sure Pizza (otherwise known as Paolo’s), Plaza Damas

This has to be one of my favourite restaurants. Paolo, the chef and restauranteur, is welcoming, friendly and a brilliant chef. His food is Italian at its most casual and scrumptious. Everything he makes is full of love, and eating here is a comforting and joyous experience. I often have the margarita pizza, with garlic mushrooms as an extra on top. Once you try this, you will come back again and again for it. His bruschetta are extraordinary – bright, sparkling with flavour, and held together by the wonderful bread that he bakes every day. You can buy loaves of this bread, but beware, you will just keep eating it even after you are full! His pastas are also a manna from heaven for vegetarians, particularly the home made ravioli and the gnocchi. Amazing. Simple, and yet so luscious. Paolo’s is where my family goes when we want good food, served without fuss, in a loving and happy atmosphere. PS Dont miss the tiramisu! Oh I could swim in it 🙂

Kechara Oasis is a wonderful vegetarian Chinese-Tibetan restaurant, oddly located in the car park of Jaya One. Dont let that stop you though, this is one place you need to try. Its got all the fantabulous staples of good vegetarian Chinese – char siew, butter prawns, sweet and sour chicken, sambal petai prawns… oh I could go on – with an intriguing mix of vegetarian Tibetan dishes. I really enjoy everything I eat here, though its definitely a place for a group, rather than just a few. That way you can order more! And taste everything! I adore the sweet and sour mushrooms, and the char siew is phenomenal. The Tibetan offerings include asa bhima (baked buns with fillings), tingmo (steamed bread with a special sauce), and a very special Tibetan butter tea. Even their fruit platter, which we had for dessert recently, was brilliant – fresh, sweet, and quality fruits. Oh the mango … Try everything, and bring your meat eating friends. They will come away satisfied and delighted, I promise.

MG’s Cafe is located in the heart of Desa Sri Hartamas. Its a completely vegetarian bakery, deli and cafe, and I love this place. Its delightful, cosy atmosphere, extensive menu, and delectable desserts make me so very happy. And the best part is the prices are really fair, so its a drop by and hang out kind of a vibey place. I have really enjoyed everything I have eaten here – from the tagliatelle with pumpkin to the veggie beefsteak burger to the marinated mushroom donburi. Most everything is under RM10 and it has a kind of Hong Kong cafe noodle house feel. I love how happy everyone who works here is as well – you just feel good walking in. And please, do try one of their cakes – delicious sponges, cream stuffed mini pancakes, moon cakes … they have the lot. And its all tasty and made with love. A great place to drop by for tea or a snack, and non-vegetarians enjoy it too.